The Class of 2011 has chosen Dr. and Mrs. Charles Steger as their class ring namesakes and are proud to honor them for their many years of exemplary service to Virginia Tech. Charles W. Steger, Jr., Virginia Tech's 15th president, has strong ties to Virginia Tech spanning four decades. His undergraduate and two graduate degrees are from Virginia Tech: Bachelor of Architecture (1970), Master of Architecture (1971), and Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences and Engineering (1978). Leaving a career as a professional architect and planner, he followed his passion for teaching and returned to Virginia Tech to teach in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. He subsequently served as Dean of that college (1981-1993) and Vice President for Development and University Relations (1993-2000) before being named President in 2000.

As a faculty member, Dr. Steger won two teaching excellence awards. Among his many publications, he authored a portion of a textbook that has been adopted by 230 universities and is now in its 7th edition. Most recently, he has written book chapters on the topics of the business of education and the university presidency.

While Dean of the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, Dr. Steger was the driving force behind the establishment of Virginia Tech's Center for European Studies and Architecture, CESA, spearheading intensive negotiations for four years to obtain the necessary Swiss approvals to acquire the Villa Maderni and establish the Center. Hundreds of students from across the university have studied at the Center, and many have expressed that it had a profound effect on the path of their careers and their lives.

Under President Steger's leadership, the university has charted a course to expand its research enterprise and establish Virginia Tech among the nation's top research universities. Since he became president, the university's annual research expenditures have increased 300 percent, and the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute was created. He has provided visionary leadership in the creation and implementation of a bold vision and strategic plan. The university underwent a restructuring that led to the creation of the College of Science and the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. Among the highlights of his presidency to date are the university's adoption of the Principles of Community (2005) and the Virginia Tech Climate Action Commitment (2009), and the fulfillment of Virginia Tech's 50-year-old dream to join the Atlantic Coast Conference (2003). Perhaps the most exciting of the new initiatives on the horizon is the establishment of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute, which is under construction in Roanoke. The medical school has received preliminary accreditation and will admit its first class in the fall of 2010.

Dr. Steger is President of the Council of Presidents of the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA). He is a member of the National Council on Competitiveness, the Association of Governing Boards, the Senior Advisory Group of the Northern Virginia Technology Council Board of Directors, and the Board of the Innovative Technology Authority that oversees Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology.

For his contributions to the profession in the field of architectural education and research, he was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1990, and received the Distinguished Achievement Award (1996) and the prestigious Noland Award (2001) from the Virginia Society of the AIA.

Among his recent awards, he received the 2009 Chief Executive Leadership Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, District III. For visionary thinking and leadership in the field of information technology, the New Century Technology Council awarded him its 2004 Compass Award, and in 2002, the National Conference for Community and Justice awarded him the NCCJ Humanitarian Award.

While a student, Charles Steger served as a member of the Class of 1969 ring design committee. He and his then future wife, Janet Baird, attended the Class of 1969 ring dance together. Since the beginning of his presidency in 2000, they have attended and presided over the formal ring dance ceremonies each year. Janet Baird Steger, also an alumna of Virginia Tech, received her bachelor of science in art in 1970. She supports and leads many university and community groups, and serves as official hostess for many university events. Dr. Steger is an accomplished equestrian and classical guitarist and enjoys golf and canoeing. The Stegers have two sons, one of whom is also a Virginia Tech alumnus.